12 Lessons We Learned From Watching Kitchen Nightmares

Have you ever fantasized about opening your own restaurant? As alluring as the dream may be, it's important to remove any rose-colored glasses so you can see both the opportunities and challenges it brings. Starting a business, let alone building and operating a successful restaurant, is no easy feat. It's safe to assume you know who Gordon Ramsay is. He has built an impressive culinary empire across the globe with his 88 restaurants covering a wide variety of dining experiences. He's the notorious Scottish-born restaurateur known for his profanity and brutal temper displayed on all of his acclaimed television series, such as "Kitchen Nightmares," a show which previously took a 10-year hiatus. The program features Gordon Ramsay in search of failing restaurants, whose goal is to turn every business he visits profitable. For one week, he assesses and develops a strategy for struggling owners on how to revive their businesses.

For nine gut-wrenching seasons, I watched disillusioned staff struggle with accepting Gordon Ramsay's harsh yet critical vital guidance. Issues stemming from the back of the house included improper food storage, neglecting pest control, cross-contamination, appalling hygiene, or inconsistent food quality. The front of the house was no exception. I witnessed poor communication from waitstaff, horrifying service, unbearably long wait times for orders and seatings, or simply awful management. But as the old saying goes, we often learn wisdom from failure much more than from success, so here are some key takeaways from the program.

Restaurant decor inarguably shapes a guest's first impression. The design and ambiance should align with the restaurant's values and concepts. It should be well thought out as it sets the stage for dining experiences. The type of furniture, wall art, and light fixtures all nonverbally give patrons an idea of what to expect. The decor can influence guests on how they may initially perceive the quality of the food and service, which can either set the mood or put the staff at a disadvantage from the get-go due to guests feeling unimpressed.

In season 1, episode 10 of "Kitchen Nightmares," Gordon Ramsay traveled to The Secret Garden, a French restaurant in Moorpark, California, owned by French chef Michel Barvardid. It was designed with old-fashioned decor, some of which were decorative plates on what resembled a grandmother's vintage wooden display stand. The dining table had paper doilies laid out but had dirty glasses sitting on top. If Michel Barvardid's goal was to serve complex and contemporary French cuisine, there was a giant disconnect given one of Gordon Ramsay's first impressions before even receiving his first dish was, "I feel like inviting my grandma out for lunch."

In season 1, episode 8, Gordon Ramsay visits Lela's, a fine dining establishment in Pomona, California, where the employees are constantly at odds. This is reflected during Lela's grand re-opening when the inexperience of sous chef Lex begins to show. His inability to work cohesively with the back of the house to focus on sending one table's orders simultaneously leads the waitstaff to start panicking and grabbing random dishes, irrespective of which table they belong to. The front and back of the house begin blaming each other, and ultimately, service is disrupted with either no food or the wrong food being pushed out.

After sous chef Lex breaks down and walks out of the kitchen in the middle of service, the night has a dramatic comeback when former head chef Ricky Brewer returns to take back control of the kitchen. With him at the helm, orders are efficiently flying out, and eventually, Lex reprises his role as supportive sous chef. With the back of the house dialed in, the waitstaff focuses better and can succeed in serving accurate dishes to their guests. 

Working as a team is non-negotiable in the restaurant industry. As Gordon Ramsay tells the staff after a successful rebound, "It was a bus, a nice loud bus." If a wheel falls off, the vehicle runs out of gas, or if the driver doesn't know the directions — it is up to that team to work together to get moving again. The same concept applies to a successful service if a restaurant is to flourish. 

One must run a tight ship, which is to say, a clean and neat kitchen. Take some advice from Ina Garten, the iconic host of "Barefoot Contessa." If everything in your kitchen has a designated place, you don't need to rummage through the clutter to find the right utensil or a clean towel to wipe up any messes. Keeping a well-organized kitchen not only allows chefs to cook more dishes but also allows for easier transitions when preparing multiple courses. 

In season 1, episode 14 of "Kitchen Nightmares," we witness Giuseppe's, a family-owned Italian business on the outskirts of Detroit, struggling with a dysfunctional kitchen. The atmosphere in the kitchen is chaotic, and during service, while food is being pushed out quickly, it is being returned at the same speed. The father tries to fix the engine room, but emotions run high when he can't find a single clean towel. Frustrated, he is unable to cook at the speed that the service requires at that moment, and his irritation has a ripple effect on his son, who is already having a hard time keeping up with the pace.

A tidy kitchen better allows someone to assist when something goes awry. Undoubtedly, extra help with hands-on pans can alleviate stress during a hectic service, which is what everyone wants in the heat of the moment, right?

There are a variety of reasons why tasting throughout the cooking process is imperative. It's your opportunity for quality control to ensure all the dishes are at their best before presenting them. When you decide to taste more frequently throughout the cooking process, not only will this help you cook better over time, but you'll be able to better execute the vision behind your recipes. 

In season 2, episode 6 of "Kitchen Nightmares," Gordon Ramsay travels to South Bend, Indiana, to help breathe life back into American-style restaurant J Willy's, which has hit rock bottom. He's forced to battle with the owners and show them the proper way to run a kitchen after tasting disgusting food and seeing restaurant practices that make him question the passion the staff brings. 

In the end, once Gordon Ramsay reignites the passion behind the chefs and they become more invested, more care and attention is put into preparing J Willy's dishes. This same lesson can be applied at home; you must be invested in what you present to your guests. By cooking with care, you'll be able to quickly identify any potential issues and correct any flavor deviations if you think a dish is too bland, salty, sweet, or sour. For example, if a dish is too spicy and you catch it quickly enough, you can correct it by simply adding a touch of dairy.

Mental health issues are common in the restaurant industry, as reflected in a study referenced by U.S. Foods. You can attribute anxiety to the high stress, long hours, and being overworked, along with the demanding nature of the job. Considering other potential factors, such as a lack of communication between staff, animosity between team members, and dealing with management's inability to get the front and the back of the house working symbiotically, it's understandable how a chef can break down behind the scenes.

In season 8, episode 6 of "Kitchen Nightmares," Gordon Ramsay takes Christopher Keff, the head chef of Love Bites Cafe in Saugerties, New York, behind the scenes to confront him about the vicious ways he'd been treating his restaurant staff. His volatile outbursts during service caused his fiancé, Tess Robinson, to be miserably weepy — and it also made his staff feel unbearingly uneasy.

Gordon Ramsay calls Love Bites Cafe one of the most toxic restaurants he's ever visited, which says a lot, given the number of restaurants he visited throughout the show. In the end, Gordon Ramsay recommends that Chris meet with a professional therapist.

For every restaurant in "Kitchen Nightmares" to be successful, a clear line of communication is needed to get the entire staff on the same page. Managers need to effectively communicate to each part of the restaurant's team what is expected of them, share essential information, and address any potential issues before molehills turn into mountains.

Clear communication from management helps ensure that everyone is confident of their respective marching orders. When messages are effectively communicated and heard, a team's overall direction to success is clear. Effective communication channels foster and allow for better efficiency, collaboration, and innovation within the restaurant's ecosystem. Managers play a vital role in conflict resolution, as they help address issues that arise promptly, which can prevent conflicts or friction from escalating further. 

Feeling informed and included through good communication can also boost team morale and overall motivation, which can help make the day or night service go smoother. When everyone feels seen and heard, this can help foster trust amongst staff, which enforces strong teamwork and builds closer bonds.

In every episode of "Kitchen Nightmares," we can see that the front of the house has a significant role in orchestrating enchanting guest experiences. It's not enough that the restaurant's chef can cook, and that the dishes taste and look good; it's all for nothing if the waitstaff is unable to fully attend to the guests' needs. The more dialed in the front of the staff is to the tasks at hand, even when things are amuck during a hectic service, servers will be less likely to miss details or mistakes when taking guest orders. Active listening and attentiveness are non-negotiable soft skills.

If the front of the staff can channel their focus, individuals can better manage their time more efficiently. This allows waitstaff to serve more guests, conceivably leading to more profit for the restaurant. By being fully present and attentive, servers can better deliver quality service and focus on building rapport and fostering relationships with patrons. This can result in setting up the framework for repeat clientele. In the long run, this can nurture a restaurant's reputation and lead to more business through positive word-of-mouth experiences.

You've had a long day at work. You've decided you're not cooking tonight and will eat out, only to arrive at a restaurant with a server who hands you a large menu. With so many options and different cuisines, you're left confused. You ask yourself, what is this restaurant's specialty? Is it Chinese, Italian, or American? You have no idea. To add to your growing headache, with so many options, you're left overwhelmed.

This is reflected at Anna Vincenzo's, an Italian restaurant in Boca Raton, Florida, with its gigantic menu. In season 3, episode 9 of "Kitchen Nightmares," Gordon Ramsay points out that the large menu presents too many choices to guests. There's one iconic scene where Gordon Ramsay asks the chefs to cook all the items on the menu — yes, all 181 dishes. He then displays them throughout the restaurant to prove to the owner that her menu is colossal.

Not only is the menu completely overwhelming to guests, but Ramsey points out that the large menu leads to slow production coming out of the kitchen. More importantly, he also flags that a menu of that caliber is more likely to produce inconsistencies in the kitchen. As a solution, Gordon Ramsay works with owner CeCe to reduce the offerings, helping her craft the "Anna Vincenzo family-style meal," a special that features fresh soup, salad, pizza, and homemade lasagna. Ultimately, this allows the restaurant to focus on quality over quantity.

You can't argue with the simple fact that regularly cleaning kitchen surfaces and utensils that come into contact with food, especially raw meat or rotten food, can significantly reduce the risk of cross-contamination and foodborne illnesses. Implementing proper hygienic rules in the kitchen helps eliminate bacteria that could transfer from one food item to another, preventing potentially lethal viruses. 

Despite the facade of tablecloths as white as hospital sheets in the dining area, Dillon's in New York City was in no way sanitary or clean as a medical center. We might never shake the image of Gordon Ramsay in season 1, episode 7, when he found dead flies caught in flypapers or the old refrigerator plagued with an infestation of cockroaches. No wonder the restaurant was in dire need of his help.

Following protocols like properly sanitizing your kitchen surfaces between preparing raw meat and plating dishes ready to be served can significantly help minimize cross-contamination. Use separate cutting boards. Allocate one block exclusively for raw meats and another board for produce. Please wash your hands, use soap, and do it often. When the cooking is over, and you're ready to throw in the towel, grab a clean one and use a food-safe sanitizer on all kitchen surfaces to help further reduce bacteria levels.

Head chefs, managers, and owners must demonstrate behaviors that foster a secure environment for staff. By doing so, employees are likely to emulate behavior out of obligation and a desire to contribute to a successful business. When a leader can set clear expectations and communicate effectively and calmly, this can motivate team members to improve general employee engagement, contributing to a positive company culture.

On the other hand, when leaders, especially owners, are volatile and self-centered, this can destroy the overall spirit of the team, which can slowly drive business into the ground. In "Kitchen Nightmares" season 1, episode 1, Gordon Ramsay travels to Peter's in Babylon, New York, the Italian Pellegrino family-owned restaurant with an arrogant owner. You'd think that Peter would be able to read the room when your sous chef is saying the owner "is a core problem of the restaurant's dysfunction, and he isn't concerned much about anybody else other than himself."

By the end of the episode, Gordon Ramsay yells at Peter and utters all the words left unspoken by his staff. This exchange forces Peter to accept his shortcomings and responsibility for his selfish behavior. By confronting Peter about his lack of contribution and effort, Peter acknowledges that he is the sole reason his restaurant is failing. After finally accepting Gordon Ramsay's constructive criticism, he humbles himself and works on better supporting his staff to turn his business around.

The phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover" works well when referring to people, but can it also be applied when dining out? The first plate to land on the table can severely impact a diner's initial perception of a meal as it sets the tone for their experience. Some guests arrive at restaurants hungrier than others, and naturally, some guests will generally have less patience. One of the worst-case scenarios is when a kitchen is backed up, and the hungry guest's order is taking longer than usual to serve. What type of lighter fluid can fan the flames of a guest's fiery frustrations? A sloppy plate that arrives after they've been waiting an hour.

In an interview, Gordon Ramsay shares advice with Joe Isidori, the acclaimed chef and owner of New York City's Arthur & Sons NY Italian. After Joe Isidori spoke with Gordon Ramsay, his goals shifted: "As soon as you walk in my restaurant, I need you to feel me and who I am and what my style is." This advice should apply to every chef on "Kitchen Nightmares."

How food is arranged on the plate, including color combinations and textures, unquestionably impacts a guest's perception of the chef and the restaurant. A thoughtfully curated dish conveys attention to detail and culinary skills, which can suggest a higher quality meal. A visually attractive dish can stimulate appetite and build anticipation for the next arriving dish. 

There was not one restaurant in "Kitchen Nightmares" in which its entire staff didn't struggle, undergoing growing pains to contribute to salvaging the failing restaurant they each worked at. Every person experienced setbacks and hardships and was pushed to new limits — some even to their breaking points. The majority of the time, it required most individuals to let go of the habits that no longer served them and embrace the new lessons taught by Gordon Ramsay or fine-tune their experiences under his guidance.

There is an undeniable beauty to working in restaurants if you can keep your head on your shoulders. For example, if the kitchen is synced with the front of the house, service will feel like a well-practiced choreographed dance. However, there are simply going to be days when everything falls apart. Even if you need a quick moment in the walk-in to collect yourself for a minute, you need to take a deep breath and then return to service with your game face on.

No one grows from complacency; only through grueling situations can you test exactly how far you push through. If you don't give up on yourself, more often than not, you will realize that you can handle a lot more than you give yourself credit for. If you're lucky, these struggles and tribulations propel you past your comfort zone and bolster your confidence to feel like you can achieve anything.